As suggested in Japanese Patent No. 4044934 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1996(H8)-280421, there has been broadly used a chemical illuminant chemically emitting light by mixing two kinds of liquids or solids with each other, for instance, a pair of fluorescent liquid and oxidizer liquid. Such a chemical illuminant is used as a concert light in events, a handy light such as a light used for disaster prevention, a float used for fishing at night, or ornaments used in a place of a ceremony.
As disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent and Publication, the chemical illuminant is designed to include an outer cylindrical case, an inner case comprised of a glass ampoule, and a pair of two liquids or solids chemically emitting light when mixed with each other. One of the liquids or solids is filled in the inner case, and the other is filled in a space formed outside of the inner case and inside of the outer case. In no use of the chemical illuminant, the two liquids or solids are separated from each other by means of the inner case. In use of the chemical illuminant, the outer case is bent sufficiently to break the inner case, resulting in that the two liquids or solids mix with each other to thereby emit light within the outer and inner cases.
A chemical illuminant is provided in various shapes. For instance, the chemical illuminant suggested in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-70124 is designed to include a cup having a two-layered structure, and an ampoule housed in the cup. The cup is obtained by improving a conventionally known luminescent cup. Since luminescent liquid emits light during use, the chemical illuminant can provide beautiful scene. Furthermore, a cap of a bottle can be opened by a bottom of the cup.
A conventional chemical illuminant usually includes an outer cylindrical case containing therein one of two liquids or solids, and an inner case housed in the outer cylindrical case and containing therein the other of two liquids or solids. If the conventional chemical illuminant were attempted to design larger in size, the outer and inner cases would have an increased diameter and/or length, and accordingly, a volume of the two liquids or solids is unavoidably increased, which results in the chemical illuminant increased in weight, in which case, usability of the chemical illuminant is deteriorated.
The above-mentioned cup has a two-layered structure to define an outer case and an inner case. In the cup, a plurality of glass ampoules are arranged between the outer and inner cases. Since the chemical illuminant is centrally open, the chemical illuminant can be light in weight and have a broad plane from which light is emitted. However, since the two cases have to be sealed, it would be difficult to carry out welding the cases made of resin, causing a problem of liquid leakage out of the cases.
Furthermore, the chemical illuminant is accompanied with problems in that the inner case is deformed due to an inner pressure generated when light is emitted as a result of mixture of the two liquids, and the ampoules are difficult to be folded even if a bending stress acts on the ampoules.